The UK on Emirates

I spoke with a travel journalist about his thoughts on Emirates.

“Emirates has a good legacy in terms of its brand positioning. It did well to be one of the first to align themselves with sport and other sponsorship deals. These days however, it’s an airline that has become stuck in eras past, what with younger, more innovative airlines cropping up all over the Middle East. What’s interesting about Emirates though, is that it is closely linked to what is good and bad about Dubai. When you think Dubai, you think Emirates. So the airline, like the city, has experienced its rises and falls.”

I met Yasmin Arrigo, an editor, at a Conference on Incentive Travel.

“Because of its tie with Dubai, I don’t really see Emirates as being a green airline. I think a lot of people see Dubai as a developer’s paradise, which isn’t the most environmentally friendly view.”

Make Emirates a representative of Dubai’s future.

I later spoke with Jill Sayles, an assistant editor at Travel Bulletin.

“Emirates is certainly an up-market airline. I would call them more corporate than human in terms of the friendliness and approachability of their cabin crew. Having a great experience with the cabin crew plays an important role in my decision.”

Infuse the Midas touch with the human touch.

James: A business traveler

James flies 3-4 times a week and so for him it is routine. "I am very intolerant of non-travelers, getting in the way", he says, likening it to people not understanding the escalators on the London underground. Solo travel is no longer a stressful experience for James. He checks in on his mobile for his Lufhansa flights, he sleeps on the plane and he handles the Jet-lag easily.

Family holidays are a different experience, however. "God, they're stressful", he sighs. 

"I love family holidays of course but there is just so much more organizing. I have to look after my wife, my kids, we need entertainment on the flight. When I travel on my own I just get on, sleep and get off- and its like a car journey - but with my family it is an EVENT"

So James' experience changes depending on the circumstances. As a business traveler, James wants the service to be like his clients - prompt, serious, easy to deal with. "I don't want an airline to care for me or to empathize, I just want them to have a good lounge, land on time, and not cause me any hassle". 

In fact, he couldn't care less about an airline being cool like Virgin, and the thought of his Lovemark Apple creating an airline does not excite him at all. "I suppose that might be interesting but I don't need an airline which is funky- just one which gets me to where I want to go."

The thing to understand about James is that he is always in control- he is a successful business man flying the world to meet clients and the flight is the one time when control is taken away from him. "I have to fly because video conferencing will never replace face to face, but at the same time, to put all my trust in an airline is difficult. If they don't get me there on time I mess up with my clients and that's a big deal"

James needs an airline which understands the pressure he is under to perform, and which creates a bond of trust that they WILL get him there on time and without hassle, or will make up for it if they don't. 

Paul the planner

Paul is 35 and is beginning to see the value in planning ahead. He always used to try to "live in the now" and the future was something distant and alien, but maybe because of his age and maybe because of the worrying economic times, he has begun to plan for his future, and enjoy it. 

"I've never really planned before, and maybe I am living less in the now, but I'm cool with that. Planning is pretty exciting."

Paul loves travelling but he hates to fly. He has always travelled, and sees it as an essential part of living a full life. He travelled the world when he was younger and he says that if he died tomorrow, he would feel he has seen enough. But that's not to say that his list of places has been completed. Paul's youthful urge to see the world lives on, and while working he looks forward to the next place where he can get away from it all. 

Paul's dislike of flying stems from some bad experiences in the past when he flew budget airlines which were uncomfortable and delayed. He never wants that again and he will spend hours looking for the right flight. That is, unless he is going to New York- then it has to be Virgin Atlantic. 

"It's just perfect. That flight- the entertainment system is amazing, the staff are pretty chilled and don't mind you having an extra beer or whatever. It makes the flight go faster. They've really nailed it and now that trip is synonymous with that flight" 

If he gets a good flight, then "the holidays starts when you take off", whereas if he gets a poor flight, "the flight is a hassle before the holiday begins". 

But the choices are all part of a balancing act. Planning for the future is a question of weighing up what is important to you and acting for it now, and planning a trip is the same. Though he doesn't want a budget airline, Paul would not be willing to pay for business class. Though Paul would pay a bit more to have a comfortable flight, he would not sacrifice on the accomodation when he gets there. And though he thinks about his carbon footprint, he allows himself his 3 flights a year as a treat which he couldn't do without. 

Paul loves to travel and he wants the flight to be the symbolic start of his holiday. He has his favourite destinations and the flights which go with them. Unfortunately too often flights are no more than average and are a barrier to feeling like you're on holiday. Paul is an optimistic and adventurous guy and Virgin is the airline which best fits with his values. 

Implications: If a great service is put on and a flight is recognized as easy, enjoyable and consistent, then customers like Paul will return to it every time they make that trip. Loyalty to a particular airline can be created by tying the experience to the journey, and to the holiday it begins.